October 22nd, 2004
109845726003275551
Your weekly lesson of what not to say in Japanese
Characters: Me, 7-11 clerk
Setting: Tuesday night, during a typhoon
「雨が目茶苦茶降りますね。」(Ame ga mechakucha** furimasu ne./It’s mixed-up raining.) -Me
「えぇ？」(Ee?/Huh?) -Him
「雨が良く降ると言った。」(Ame ga yoku furu to itta./I said it’s really coming down.) -Me
「ううん。台風です。」(Uun, taifuu desu./Yeah, it’s a typhoon.) -Him
「そうね。」(Sou ne./Yeah.) -Me
**”Muchakucha” is some slang used for emphasis that was especially popular in early 1980s. The guy was probably younger than me, so I might have well just said “That’s some wicked rain out there.” Then again he probably was just surprised that some dopey guy with a mustache was making chitchat at quarter to eleven.
